Francis Mauigoa earns 5th star in On3 Rankings

Monday’s update of the On300 for the 2023 cycle saw the addition of one new five-star – offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa. The Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout checks in at No. 14 overall and as the No. 2 offensive tackle prospect in the cycle. He also checks in as a top ten prospect in the On3 Consensus, which evenly weighs the rankings of all four major recruiting media companies.

Mauigoa was born in Pago Pago, American Samoa and played his freshman year at San Bernardino (Calif.) Aquinas prior to transferring to IMG Academy. A one-time defensive lineman, Mauigoa manned the right tackle spot for the Ascenders as a junior and is considered an offensive line prospect long-term.

The new five-star has offers from a bevy of the nation’s top programs. He has taken visits to Florida, Miami, Michigan State and USC this year. The Trojans are currently ahead of Miami, Alabama, and Oregon in On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. Mauigoa’s On3 NIL valuation currently sits at $13,300.

Let’s take a look at what makes Francis Mauigoa the newest five-star in the On300.

Development as an offensive lineman

Francis Mauigoa has long been considered one of the top prospects in the 2023 cycle. He burst on the scene as a defensive lineman as a freshman at San Bernardino (Calif.) Aquinas, showcasing some high-level movement skills at such an early stage of development. He did not play as a sophomore – California’s 2020 season was pushed back to the spring due to COVID-19. Mauigoa transferred to IMG Academy after the first semester of his sophomore year.

The 2021 season provided us with the first on-field look at Mauigoa. He worked at right tackle for IMG Academy’s star-studded offensive line. The 6-foot-5.5 330-pounder opened up some big holes for the Ascenders in the run game. We also saw him hold his own while matched up against some premier pass rushers on the edge. You would never guess it was Mauigoa’s first year playing the position full-time.

As you can see in the video above, Mauigoa is a weapon in the run game. He’s strong at the point of attack and gets a push due to his powerful base and heavy hands. You can see Mauigoa’s functional flexibility as is able to sink his hips and get underneath the pads of defenders.

We also see Mauigoa show off his athleticism as a blocker at the second level. He moves in space with ease and swallows up linebackers.

Francis Mauigoa has elite movement skills

Francis Mauigoa has validated the high-end movement skills that you see on Friday nights with a few strong performances in combine and camp settings this off-season. He’s measured in at 6-foot-5.4, 329-pounds and carries the weight very well.

Mauigoa moves extremely well for any offensive lineman, let alone one with his ready-made size. He is extremely light-footed in drills. The movement was backed up in athletic testing as well, as he recently ripped off a 4.5 second short shuttle at ESPN’s Underclassman Camp in Orlando. That number is as good as we’ve seen from an offensive lineman this cycle. The ability to move that well while having such a powerful build and base is unique at this stage.

We’ve also changed Mauigoa’s position from interior offensive line to offensive tackle. It’s certainly possible he could play tackle or guard at the next level, but he’s looking more and more like an offensive tackle. Mauigoa measured in with an 81-inch wing-span and 33.5 inch arm at the aforementioned ESPN camp, showing requiste length for the tackle spot.

Moving forward

There are several indicators that point to Francis Mauigoa being an ascending prospect. As mentioned above, he’s still relatively new to offensive line. He’s a top athlete. Mauigoa is also younger for the cycle – he doesn’t turn 17 years-old until June.

Some around the IMG program viewed Mauigoa as one of the top two prospects on the 2021 team. That’s high praise considering the roster is flush with blue-chip prospects. If we were to chalk up an early player comparison for Francis Mauigoa, the easy pick would be former Oregon star and current Detroit Lion Penei Sewell. The pair share similar builds and strengths at the same stage.

The offensive line class in the 2023 cycle looks to be quite strong. Mauigoa is the third offensive lineman to be rated as five-star by On3, joining offensive tackle Charles Jagusah (No. 7), and Penn State interior offensive line commit Jven Williams (No. 11). It’s highly likely Mauigoa is not the last offensive lineman to be rated as a five-star, either. Six more offensive linemen currently rank within the top 50 of the On300. Regardless of how it all shakes out, we’ve seen enough to feel good about awarding Francis Mauigoa with his fifth star.